Persephone and Demeter

Who is involved?

What type of myth?

Curious/ Explanation- explains the seasons changing and why crops die in the winter

What happens?

Persephone is Demeter's daughter
One day, Persephone is in a meadow, picking flowers
Hades, the God of the Underworld, kidnaps her and takes her to the Underworld because she was beautiful
It was believed that the moment you eat something in the Underworld, you must stay there forever
Meanwhile, Persephone refuses to eat at first, but her hunger gets the best of her
She eats 6 pomegranate seeds, so she would have to stay there forever
Back on Earth, Demeter is extremely upset from her daughter's disappearance
This causes the crops to wither and die
Zeus is concerned about the state of the crops, so he sends Hermes to get Persephone back
Hermes learns that Persephone ate 6 pomegranate seeds while in the Underworld. He proposes that if she marries Hades, she can stay 6 months year, rather than 12
Hades takes him up on his offer
Each spring, Persephone comes to earth, and leaves each fall
In the spring and summer months, Demeter is so happy, that she makes all the flowers grow
Demeter cries each fall when her daughter leaves, causing the crops to die, explaining autumn and winter

What is the purpose?

This myth provides an explanation of how and why the seasons change each year
It explains why the crops would die during the fall and winter, but flourish and be plentiful in the spring and summer
This gave people a sense of comfort, because they knew what was going on in the world, instead of being afraid that the gods were angry

Modern day connections

Today, there is a fragrance line called Demeter
Also, there is a popular Greek restaurant in New York City called Persephone
There is even a Persephone Magazine
In addition, there is a company called Demeter that promotes bio-dynamic farming

Group 4 - Persephone and Demeter